MOBILE, Alabama -- Despite what you may have heard, it appears gum disease likely does not cause atherosclerotic heart disease or stroke, according to a new scientific statement published in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal.

While keeping your teeth and gums healthy is important for overall health, an American Heart Association expert committee -- made up of cardiologists, dentists and infectious diseases specialists -- found no conclusive scientific evidence that gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, causes or increases the rates of cardiovascular diseases.

Up-to-date research does not indicate if regular brushing and flossing or treatment of gum disease can lower the incidence of the narrowing of the arteries that can lead to heart attacks and strokes, according to a written statement from the AHA.

The statement was issued after 500 journal articles and studies were reviewed by the committee without confirming a causative link.

Dentist Peter Lockhart, co-chairman of the statement writing group and professor of oral medicine at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, noted that confusion about the link may linger.

"The message sent out by some in healthcare professions that heart attack and stroke are directly linked to gum disease, can distort the facts, alarm patients and perhaps shift the focus on prevention away from well known risk factors for these diseases," Lockhart said in a written statement.

Gum disease and cardiovascular disease both produce markers of inflammation and share other common risk factors, including cigarette smoking, age and diabetes, health officials have noted. These common factors may help explain why diseases of the blood vessels and mouth occur in tandem.

Although several studies appeared to show a stronger relationship between these diseases, in those studies researchers didn't account for the risk factors common to both diseases.

Lockhart noted that much of the literature on the topic is conflicting "but if there was a strong causative link, we would likely know that by now."

A large, long-term study would be needed to prove if dental disease causes heart disease and stroke, he said.

Statements that imply a cause and effect relationship between gum disease and heart disease, or claim that dental treatment may prevent heart attack or stroke are "unwarranted," at this time, the statement authors said.